Troubled Hearts
by Queen-of-the-Saps
Summary: Sequel to "Troubled Mind".  It's been two days since she has returned.  With all that's happened, she isn't sure what to believe.  But with trouble brewing in the city, she finds more questions than answers.  And what will happen to. . . him?
1. The Reality

Disclaimer: I only own the plot.

Sequel to "Troubled Mind".

"**Troubled Hearts"**  
>—The Reality—<br>ONE

Raven was sitting by his cot again in thought. It had been two days since she had woken up to reality. Little by little, she was coming to acceptance with what had happened. However, she was still anxious. _Will he be the same when he wakes up? _Will _he even wake up_? She was doubting that day would ever come. Still, she found herself wishing for it with all her heart._ Please just wake up. . . I want to see your blue eyes again._

She knew Cyborg was working nonstop to flush out the nanobots in their three teammates like he had with her. However, it would take time. Meanwhile, Slade, that maniacal monster, was still out there. What was his purpose? Why did he inject them with his dream serum? Did he try to make them have a joint dream or was that an unwanted side effect?

She had met her whole team in that joint dream. All the people she loved so dearly. Robin, Starfire, Beast Boy, Cyborg. . .

Then, it hit her. And Terra. She had met Terra. As Raven thought more about it, she began to panic. Why was Terra in the joint dream? She remembered everything. She had known everything about the Titans. She said she had been there for almost a year. Her statue had disappeared from the cave. And then Beast Boy had claimed to have seen her at that high school. That Terra appeared to not remember anything from her Titan days. Just high school. . .

What did that mean? Were they truly one and the same?

It was so mind-blowing. Raven couldn't make any sense of it. She had never admitted it, but she could never understand the workings behind Slade's logic. What was his _real _objective? No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't figure out one single theory. She needed Robin, the real Robin, now more than ever. He was the one who could discern motives and strategies of most villains. He could get into the mind of that person.

She could only take his place for now. Until he woke up, she would have to solve this case and protect him no matter what came her way. They had never truly defeated Slade. They had only delayed his plans until further notice. What could she do by herself? Cyborg would have to keep working on their teammates. He couldn't help her if it came to a one-on-one with Slade. She didn't doubt she could wrap up any other minor villain that came her way. But then again, she was still recovering. Her strength had returned, but she wasn't used to using her powers and became so weak if she did use them for a certain period of time.

It seemed a hopeless case. She sighed.

"Robin. What would you do if you were me?" She asked his sleeping form. She knew he could not and would not answer her, but she felt so helpless. If only he'd talk to her now. It would make her feel so more secure. However, she also couldn't help but wonder if he would feel the same way about her as she did him. Was what Cyborg said right?

"_To tell the truth, Rae," Cyborg told her as he patted her shoulder, "I'm not so sure he loves Starfire. Sure she's pretty and sweet. But she's not the kind of person he would want to spend a lifetime with. He's not all happy and innocent like she is." He gave that a moment to sink in. "However, he's a lot like _you_."_

That whole conversation was imprinted in her mind like a tattoo. It gave her hope and that hope was very precious to her. It kept her going. _Maybe one day after he wakes up we can be together. But would it be the same?_

Before she could think of an answer to her thoughts, a red light went off in the infirmary. The red glow illuminated her surroundings. "Trouble." She merely said and flew towards the briefing room.

When she got there, she saw Cyborg looking through the files on screen. "Who is it?" She asked although she was more than a little scared of the answer she might receive.

"Slade." Cyborg said with hard eyes in a steely tone. "He's at the old clock tower. Can you handle him by yourself?" He asked as he made eye contact with Raven. She was the closest thing he had to a little sister. As much as he wanted to help her and make sure she was okay, he knew he was needed elsewhere. However, if she requested it, he knew he would not let her down.

"I can try." She replied and looked down at the floor with a sigh.

Cyborg walked over to Raven and tilted her chin up so she would look him in the eye. "Just come back, okay?" She nodded. It was time to stop asking questions and find out the truth. She just hoped she could bear anything she was told and stay alive to retell it.

—

She flew as fast as she could to the old clock tower downtown. When she arrived, she could almost feel a chill in the air although she was inside of the tower. Was it a premonition of what was to come? As one of magic, Raven never took for granted little signs such as that. However, there was nothing she could do about it. She had to be here for her teammates' sake and for herself as well.

She landed and looked around for the madman. She found she did not have to wait long.

"Hello, Raven." He said with a pleasant yet mischievous tone. "Did you have sweet dreams?" He took a step forward toward her with no weapon, but she felt intimidated all the same.

She took one step backward, but then caught herself before she went any farther. She knew he fed off fear like a wild animal does its prey. "What did you do to me?" She asked in the most level voice she could muster.

"My dear girl," he replied, "I only showed you what you wanted to see." Raven's eyes widened. He knew. It was no coincidence. "While you were off in your own dream," he continued, "I was living _mine_."

Raven swallowed and knew she was in way over her head. Something was up. "What do you mean?" She tried to stand her ground but found it more and more hard not to back up; not to run away. She had never been so intimidated before. It was like he was slowly creeping his demonic hands into her soul.

"So many questions." He chuckled in his own amused diabolical way. He knew perfectly well what he was doing to Raven and loved every moment of it. However, the fun was only beginning. He spoke once more. "Why, I finally get to choose my perfect apprentice."

Raven's eyes widened as she understood what he was after. Although, she wasn't sure how much of what she thought was right. "You don't mean. . .?" Raven could almost swear she could see his sickening smirk behind that hideous mask. She clenched her hands into fists and stood her ground. "Where is Terra?" She asked firmly. Was Terra the key to everything?

"She's right here."

—Fin—

A/N: Oh, goodness. I thought I had left "Troubled Mind" behind me. There were so many discrepancies in that story. Especially the whole Terra thing. But I got some urging replies to continue, so I came up with this plot last minute and hopefully it will do the prequel justice and straighten out the wrinkles. Well, let's see how this unfolds. What do _you _think is going to happen? Review!

Signed,

Her Sappiness


	2. The Dream

Disclaimer: Nada.

Troubled Hearts  
>—The Dream—<br>TWO

"Dude, so, you're telling us we're not in some sort of alternate dimension?" Dick nodded in confirmation. "We're _really _just dreaming?"

"I don't know, man, this all sounds rather fishy." Vic said as he leaned against the wall. Was he really non-existent? Was he only a figment of a dream? No, he couldn't start thinking like that. How could he only be a fictional character when he had a whole lifetime of memories, thoughts, feelings, and dreams of his own?

"But Robin," Kori interjected, "how did this happen?" She asked very inquisitively. It felt strange to call him by his alias once again. It was almost like she was speaking a foreign language. She no longer felt like she once had for this man. He was Rachel's now. Still, Kori had doubts. _If this is all just a dream, how does _he _feel?_

"It was _Slade_." Dick said in a cold, steely manner. It reminded everyone of his past obsession with his arch-nemesis. Why did the man have to show up in their lives once more? It was as if his life's ambition was to plague their own.

Tara looked up with a pale face all of a sudden in shock. "Slade?" She swallowed quite visibly, but no one seemed to notice. Not even Gar who was standing next to her in the room. No doubt he was caught in thoughts of his own.

"Yeah," Dick said. "He used something called dream serum to put us all into a potentially permanent sleep. It also united our brain waves to form a joint dream."

"A joint dream?" Gar asked. "You mean, like, our minds are linked and now we're all in the same dream?"

"Yes," replied Dick. "That's exactly what I'm saying." He looked at everyone in the room. There was no hint of humor in his bare blue eyes. He was dead serious.

Gar squirmed at the thought. "Dude, my mind feels totally violated!" Gar perhaps wasn't being completely as somber as Dick was, but his reaction received no chuckles; not even a faint smile from Tara. The mood was almost as solemn as a cemetery.

"Perhaps. . ." Kori started. It seemed strange not to see her being cheerful. Then again, no one felt the urge to smile. "Perhaps that is why I have had no dreams since I have come here. I was already dreaming. . ." She trailed off. But her unspoken question was in the air and penetrated everyone's mind. _Why did it all have to be just a dream?_

"I have a question." Vic stopped leaning against the wall and stood up straight. "If this is some kind of 'dream world' as you suspect, why did Rachel get knocked out all of a sudden? Did something happen to her?" Vic paused before finishing his thought. "I mean, I've been watching this thing happen for a while now, and I've noticed things only happen when you sleep."

"I don't know." Dick looked down. He wished he had an answer to give. He only hoped she was alright. . . no matter where she happened to be. "We can only wait to see what she tells us when she wakes up."

Dick was never one to be slow, but with the dream becoming more real and his brain fog lifting, he finally found he had a question to ask them. Or rather, something to ask _her_.

He looked straight at the quiet blonde and asked, "Terra, how are you _here_?"

"If we're in a dream like you said, then I must be dreaming too." She said, but did not look Dick in the face.

"But you _died_." Dick emphasized. "I _saw _you die. Raven used all the incantations she could find, but none worked. You were just a stone statue."

Gar looked at her, but she couldn't look back at him. "Yeah, and I saw you at the high school some months ago. Your statue in the cave was gone." Gar looked puzzled. The enigma was right in front of him. And she had a look that he couldn't quite determine. In fact it seemed so different from what he had seen on her. She was so happy before. . . "How have you been here all this time?" He asked her.

"Is there something you're not telling us?" Dick asked in a quieter and softer voice. However, it was still very intense. With Detective Grayson on the case, he would not let a single detail slip through his fingers.

Tara felt everyone's eyes on her. She could not look up, though. She felt so guilty. What would have happened if she had told everyone what she had seen at the beginning? She kept her eyes down and finally spoke after a long absence of words. "Well, I _do _remember turning to stone after stopping that volcanic eruption." She paused as she took a long breath. "It was terrible. There was this cold numbness creeping up my spine as little by little I became petrified." She put her hand on her mouth as she recalled the horrible feeling. Gar put his hand on her shoulder to reassure her. "Then, the next thing I remember, Slade was looking over at me in a metal building."

Dick's eyes widened. _Slade!_

"I thought I had killed him! I thought that terrible monster was finally _gone_. But," her breath became shaky and uneven, "I can only guess he brought me back." She shrugged. She didn't know why, though. What sort of maniacal plot did he have behind all this? "And then," she bit her lip, "as soon as I had woken up, he said, 'Sweet dreams, dear apprentice' and he injected something into me. Next thing I knew, I was _here_. I've been here for nearly a year." _Why would he go through all that trouble to bring me back just to put me to sleep?_

"But Terra," Gar interjected, "if you were sleeping the whole time, how did I see you awake in reality?" He looked at her with earnest eyes and this time she looked back at him. Her eyes were uncertain.

"I honestly don't know." She told him and Gar knew it was the truth. "I'm probably more in the dark than you are." After that, she fiddled with her hands and looked uncomfortable as everyone stared at her. It was as if everyone in the room was expecting her to say something more. However, she had nothing more to add. She really didn't know anything.

The awkward silence was saved by a groan coming from the couch. Dick, Gar, Kori, Tara, and Vic walked closer to find Rachel holding her hand on her head. She had finally woken up. "Man, I have the worst headache." She sat up and looked down and felt what she was sitting on. "That's weird. I don't remember falling asleep on the couch. . ." Rachel looked around to find her roommates looking at her with expectant eyes. "Anyone care to explain why you're all staring at me?"

After a moment of bewilderment, Dick finally asked, "Raven, what happened?"

"Raven? Who is Raven?" She looked around at everyone still looking at her strangely and saw a blonde whom she did not recognize. "And who are you?" She asked as she pointed at Tara.

"Raven?" Dick asked again as he sat down next to her on the couch.

"Babe?" She asked and touched her husband's bicep with two of her fingers. "What's going on? This is _really _weird." She looked at him for an answer, but received none.

"It's not her. . ." Dick said and looked around to everyone else in almost a panic. _What could possibly have happened to Raven?_ He wondered.

"What do you mean I'm not me? What is going on?" She looked frantically at everyone and waited for an answer.

Dick couldn't help but channel his disappointment and frustration. His whole way of finding an answer was gone. Finally, he spoke. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

It wasn't the answer Rachel was looking for. She gripped his arm firmly. "_Tell me_." She commanded of him. Dick saw the fierce determination in her eyes and found he couldn't deny her. She asked and she would receive.

"Okay. But this might take a while." They talked for a long time. Vic talked mostly about what had been going on in the dream world. Dick also explained about what had been going on in reality. He told her why they were dreaming.

"Slade? Dream serum? A joint dream?" She looked disbelievingly at them. "Are you _seriously _saying that?" She looked at them and waited for them to tell the truth. However, she did not receive a second explanation. Were they merely mocking her? She hated to admit or even think that they might be serious, but with the way they were speaking and the way her own husband was acting was almost proof enough.

"I know it sounds crazy," Dick replied, "but it's the truth, Raven."

"Stop calling me that!" She raised her voice and stood up suddenly. "That's not my name. . ." She spoke a little more softly, but no less intense. She looked around. She saw everyone looking at her with disappointed and curious gazes. _What do they want from me? _Dick went to touch her gently on her arm, but she pulled back. "Don't touch me!" She said and began to tear up. "You're not my husband." At that she stormed off into her room with tears flowing.

"Wait!" Dick said as he stood up and tried to go after her. However, Vic caught him by the arm before he could go any more than two steps.

"Let her go, man." Vic replied and finally loosened his grasp when Dick eased the tension in his muscles. "She needs time to accept this. We all did." Dick thought of Rachel's tears and knew his friend was right.

—Fin—

A/N: So, I was thinking of alternating between the dream world and reality. Do you think this would be better? I wanna know what you guys think. Let me know if you think there should be any improvements or of there is anything you liked and want to see more of. I look forward to hearing from you all!

Signed,  
>Her Sappiness<p> 


	3. The Fallen Apprentice

**FYI, this takes place where chapter one leaves off. Be warned: I cannot write fight scenes well. It goes against my sappy nature.**

Disclaimer: What do you think?

Troubled Hearts  
>—The Fallen Apprentice—<br>THREE

"_What did you do to me?" She asked in the most level voice she could muster._

"_My dear girl," Slade replied, "I only showed you what you wanted to see." Raven's eyes widened. He knew. It was no coincidence. "While you were off in your own dream," he continued, "I was living _mine_."_

_Raven swallowed and knew she was in way over her head. Something was up. "What do you mean?" She tried to stand her ground but found it more and more hard not to back up; not to run away. She had never been so intimidated before. It was like he was slowly creeping his demonic hands into her soul._

"_So many questions." He chuckled in his own amused diabolical way. He knew perfectly well what he was doing to Raven and loved every moment of it. However, the fun was only beginning. He spoke once more. "Why, I finally get to choose my perfect apprentice."_

_Raven's eyes widened as she understood what he was after. Although, she wasn't sure how much of what she thought was right. "You don't mean. . .?" Raven could almost swear she could see his sickening smirk behind that hideous mask. She clenched her hands into fists and stood her ground. "Where is Terra?" She asked firmly. Was Terra the key to everything?_

"_She's right here."_

Slade turned partially around to reveal two figures. The first one stepped into the artificial light in the clock tower while the second stayed amongst the shadows. Raven looked at the girl in front of her. Her features looked exactly as Terra did in the other world. The same round face, blue eyes, petite figure and blonde hair that ran into her eyes on one side. She looked exactly the same as she did two days ago when Raven saw her in the joint dream. The only thing different was her twisted smile as if she knew something Raven didn't.

Raven watched as the Terra in front of her adjusted her gloves. She was getting ready to attack. The only thing Raven could not figure out was how Terra could even move when she sensed no aura. It was like she had no soul behind those glassy eyes. What was going on?

The Terra she met in the dream world was a bit bittersweet because of her experiences from there. Everything was different here. Her posture, attitude, and smug smirk were nothing like what Raven had seen in the joint dream. Was she _really _the same person?

Raven knew she was running out of time before this Terra would attack with her full force. Perhaps if she fought her, she could understand a bit more about who she _really _was. Raven bent her knees and put her hands in a defensive position. She had no doubt the blonde would throw everything she could at her.

"Go," Slade commanded and the apprentice obeyed. She ran as fast as she could for Raven and kicked her in the stomach before the violet-eyed heroine could put up a shield. Raven was hit with such force that fell on her back and slid until she was close to the door she came in. Raven quickly got back up on her feet. She knew she could not waste her energy on flying. She would need all her strength to defend and attack if she got an opening.

Raven watched as Terra's hands glowed a faint yellow. "I have made sure she can use her abilities properly. In fact, she has become quite the apprentice." Slade narrowed his visible eye. "However, I have yet to choose. And I am far from done."

Without more prompting, Terra moved her hands and large chunks of ground broke open the door. They surrounded Raven and she wondered what she could do in such a situation. From his comment, Raven understood that Terra had mastered her abilities under Slade's tutelage. But for how long had she been practicing?

"Why are you doing this, Terra?" Raven asked the girl in front of her as the rocks began to circle her faster and faster. It wouldn't be long before one or all of them tried to pierce her through like a shish-kabob.

"I'm only giving you what you deserve." She said with that same devilish smirk. "You could have had everything you ever wanted. What exactly did you give it up for?" She asked and let Raven think about all the things she lost, but only for a moment. She clenched her fists and the yellow glow surrounded them once more.

However, this time Raven was ready. Before the rocks had a chance to move, she turned into her soul-self and slipped through the floor so neither Slade nor Terra could tell where she would end up.

Terra looked around for the blue-clad empath, but found nothing. She turned her head this way and that. Nothing. After several moments of tension, Terra eased her muscles and let her guard down slightly. Raven had waited for this moment and took advantage of it. She stretched some of her dark energy out of the ground beneath Terra and wrapped it around one of her ankles. Before the apprentice could react, the darkness sprung up, bringing the blonde with it.

Terra tried to struggle out of it, but there was nothing in this world that could break the energy's grip. The next thing she knew, she was flying out of the door and slid on the cold, hard ground.

Raven cautiously crept outside only to find Terra lying on the ground. "Are you the real Terra?" She asked before she got up or interrupted by another merciless villain. She was standing in Terra's peripheral vision and knew she could hear her.

The blonde swallowed and looked up at the booted girl above her. "I'm real enough." She said_. But if she isn't the real Terra, who is she?_ Raven barely had enough time to think she felt the cold, cruel presence of Slade appear behind her. "No, don't get up." He said to Terra and she obeyed. However, the look of frustration was evident on her face. "You had your chance, girl," he said, "and you lost it." _Chance for what?_

Slade turned behind him and called out into the clock tower. "Come on out. It's your turn, my dear." The other lifeless figure came out into the light. When Raven saw it, she gasped. It couldn't be her. It just _couldn't_!

Raven started feeling weak. She had barely used her powers, but her strength was draining rapidly. She hadn't been on her feet like this in a long time and she was still recovering from Slade's dream serum. She wouldn't last much longer. She needed either to end the fight or to get out of there. However, there was no way she could fight _her_.

The figure raised her hand and shot a beam that almost knocked out Raven. She was too weak. There was no way for her to fight back. She would just have to leave. However, before she could transport away, she thought of Robin_. Robin would never leave without answers. _She would have to stay a little longer.

Raven heard Slade's booted foot near her body and looked up at his malevolent eye glaring back at her. "I have no use for someone so weak. You may have defeated Trigon, but you do not have what it takes to be _my _apprentice." He said and walked away from the two girls laying in the dirt. The other lifeless figure flipped her long hair over her shoulder arrogantly and walked away behind Slade.

He wouldn't be going against Raven anytime soon or try to recapture this Terra. Apparently they were both valueless in his eyes. Terra would never be his apprentice again. She heard the blonde start to weep. "I've failed him. . ." She said and Raven finally stood up although it was with much effort.

She walked the short distance over to Terra. The girl's face was streaked with tears. Raven looked at the girl with sympathy and held out her hand. She smiled as much as she could with the pain and such little strength. "Would you like to come with me?" She asked and Terra looked up at her.

"Why would you want to help _me_?" She asked bitterly.

"Because you need help and you can help me in return." She said logically and Terra nodded in acceptance then took her hand. At that, Raven spoke her mantra to transport them to the Tower's infirmary. She wasn't sure if she was doing the right thing, but she needed answers. She needed to know what was going on. She needed to know why she saw _her _helping Slade. She needed to know why Slade had sent them all into that joint dream. She needed to know so many things. . .

And right now, Terra was the only one who could give them a little bit of insight. Raven only hoped it would be enough.

—Fin—

A/N: Oooooh, getting good, right? So, tell me, what do you think is going on? What is Slade planning? Who was the second apprentice? What will Terra reveal? Find out soon!

Signed,  
>Her Sappiness<p> 


	4. The Confusion

Disclaimer: If I did, Raven and Robin would be married in the real world, not just a dream.

"Troubled Hearts"  
>—The Confusion—<br>FOUR

Vic walked slowly up the stairs and down the hallway. He stopped in front of the bedroom door on the end of the hall. He heard Rachel crying on the other side of her door. Even so, he knocked on it. It hurt him to see her so upset. He couldn't stand it.

"Y-yes?" She asked and gave a long sniffle.

"It's me, Rachel." Vic told her through the closed door and she gave him her consent to come in.

As soon as the door between them was open, Vic went over to her bed and sat down next to her. She swallowed away her other tears and rubbed her wet cheeks, trying to wipe away her sadness and anguish. "_You _believe me, right?" She asked after several moments.

"Yes, of course I believe you." He said and stroked her hair to console her.

She breathed in deeply and let it out as two teardrops slipped from her closed eyes. "What happened? _Really_. I want to know. I'm not crazy!" She said as she vented her anger and frustration. "This is just like a bad dream." She looked away and seemed to shrink as she held her arms. "A nightmare," she finished.

When Vic did not answer, or perhaps he could not, she looked over to him. "How long have I been 'gone'?"

"A couple of weeks." Vic paused before continuing. "Listen, if you came back to us, perhaps the rest will follow. This may only be temporary. For now we just have to learn to live with it and get along with the others. I know it is hard. They aren't the people we remember and love, but they are still people." He sighed and touched her cheek so she would look at him. He looked away and his eyes hardened as he confessed to her what he had such a hard time telling anyone else. "Sometimes it feels like I'm the only sane one here and other times I wonder if I'm the next to go." He looked at her and his eyes softened. "I'm just glad I got you back. You're like a little sister to me."

She wiped her cold, wet cheeks with her fingers and smiled the little she could. "Thanks, Vic."

—

Tara shifted in her sleep. She felt sadness unlike ever before. It was almost despair. She was lying on the cold, hard ground. She could not see much, but she could feel herself crying. "I've failed him. . ." she told someone, but could not tell who.

Finally, her vision cleared up a bit. A person with a long cloak stood up by her. The person walked closer. Tara's vision was so blurred and dark, she could barely distinguish color or any physical features of the person before her. The person took a few steps closer to Tara. She saw the person's shoulder length hair and slightly curvy figure and assumed it was a woman. The woman stumbled a bit as if she was weak.

Tara could not see any features of the woman standing above her. However, she heard the woman say something. She spoke, but Tara could not understand right away. ". . . come with me?" She caught the latter half of the sentence after a moment of straining to hear and comprehend. What was she asking her?

She felt, if not heard, herself speak. "Why would. . . help me?" She couldn't hear the whole question she asked or even feel the words she spoke. Tara was merely watching the dream. She could somewhat feel what was happening, but not much. She felt as if she wasn't really a participant of this dream. Something was so _different _about herself. Or was that even herself?

The woman spoke once more with her almost familiar voice. "Because you need. . . help me. . ." _What is it I need? Do I need to help someone? Who is that speaking to me? Who? Who? Who?_

She could see her vision shift slightly as she nodded. The hauntingly familiar woman spoke again, but Tara could not make out any words as if she was speaking in a different language. Tara's vision turned completely to black and she felt disoriented for a moment; almost like being seasick. And then. . .

She woke up.

—

Tara sat next to her roommate the next morning with a bowl of cereal in one hand and a carton of milk in the other. After setting down and mixing the two, Tara picked up her spoon but put it down the next moment. For some reason, she could not get the images of the previous night out of her head. So, after a moment of gathering her strength and taking a silent deep breath, she turned to the girl next to her and spoke. "I had this really disturbing dream last night, Star."

"What? You had a dream, Terra?" Kori looked confused. "How did you have a dream? I have not had a dream while I have been here." She shook her head slightly as if she found Tara's statement to be physically impossible, but tried to understand it anyway. "I thought we were in a dream already." Kori was genuinely confused. How was this possible? "May I ask if you have had dreams before?"

"Only occasionally." Tara admitted. "They usually are very vague and dimly lit. I can't see much, but they seem like they are real. Sometimes I'm at school just doing ordinary things. I guess it means I want to be normal again."

"But I do not understand," Kori objected. "How are you able to have dreams while I nor anyone else cannot?"

Tara shrugged. "I don't know," she said honestly. "Maybe it's because I've been here longer than you guys."

Kori pondered over that thought for a few moments until Rachel walked in. She looked more sober than she had the previous night. Perhaps all she needed was a good cry. However, both Kori and Tara knew it would take a while before she could accept them as real. Especially when Dick, her supposed husband, had told her _she _was the fake.

"Good morning, Rachel," Kori said with a bright smile. Rachel, in turn, looked uncomfortable as she remembered what Vic had told her the previous night. _They aren't the people we remember and love, but they are still people. _Rachel sighed and decided she would be as civil as she could. After all, weren't _they _trying by calling her 'Rachel'?

"Good morning," she replied with a small, mostly-forced smile. Tara and Kori looked at each other and saw the glee mirrored on the other's face. It was small, but it was a start.

"What would you like for breakfast?" Forgetting about her dream within a dream dilemma, Tara asked Rachel as she gestured for her to sit in the end chair.

"Um," Rachel thought about the question for a moment and the fact that someone she did not know who claimed that she was a fictional character, would ask her such a question in the first place. _Why does she care?_ She shook all other doubts out of her head a smiled faintly instead. "Do we have any oranges? I feel like eating something citrus-y."

—

Dick had been awake since the dawn, merely sitting on the couch he had slept on in thought. The previous night he had seen Rachel react in a way Raven never would. She was so emotional. But, then again, she was just a dream and dreams can be anything, he reminded himself. However, he just couldn't get over this nagging feeling he had in his gut. Sure, she was different from the person he knew, but something about her seemed so _real_. Was that part of Slade's plan? To put them in a joint dream that seemed so much like real life, that they would begin to settle in and discard the life they once had?

He decided then and there that he would not give in.

However, he thought again of the tears Rachel had shed. He realized it tore him up inside just to think of it. Raven never would have cried like that. He had never seen her show that much emotion before. But this counterpart, Rachel, was open and. . . honest. Had he ever been that honest to himself? He found he didn't know and didn't want to know.

What ever was he going to do in this situation?

He found out he was married to his second-in-command. It was to a version of the girl he had a deep bond with but was very different from the person he knew. A bond he hoped would never be severed. He trusted her with his life. She had seen him through so many ugly moments, but she never had judged him. She had only stayed as a silent support without asking anything in return.

It was an awkward situation, but he decided he would make the most of it. Hopefully he wouldn't be here for very long. But, if he was, he wanted things to be as pleasant as they could be. There was no point upsetting everyone and turning this dream into a nightmare. After all, it wasn't just him that was involved. The other members of his team were here too. However, he didn't know just what had happened between them while they had been "gone". Had they become content with the way things were? Didn't they want to get back and help the people they knew and cared about? They were important to Jump City and they were important to each other.

Why couldn't they see that?

—

Sometime after eating breakfast, Rachel decided to remember the good times before she had woken up to this mess. She had pulled out her wedding and reception albums and was paging through them on the kitchen table. There was the picture of her walking down the aisle with a gorgeous white dress designed just for her complete with train. There were beautiful exotic flowers woven into her updo. She closed her eyes and thought of the look in Dick's eyes when he saw her walking towards him. His eyes had widened at the beauty in front of him, although she would never admit to being more than pretty.

She turned the page and saw them at the alter reciting their vows to support and love each other until death do they part. Now she wasn't sure if she was living up to those vows. Dick was still alive, wasn't he? Was he really in there somewhere? Perhaps maybe waiting for someone to save him? She just didn't know. What could she possibly do?

As she turned to the page that had their first kiss as a married couple, she heard a noise and looked up. It was Dick. What was he doing there? "Hey, Rachel." He said in way of greeting and Rachel nodded but would not make eye contact. "What are you looking at?" He walked over and behind her so he could see what she had been staring at so intently before he had made himself known.

He spotted the page over her shoulder. It was of himself in an expensive black fitted Tuxedo with . . . Raven. Of course, he knew in his head it was only the alternate version of her; Rachel. However, he only saw Raven in his heart. She was beautiful in her equally-expensive (if not more so) white wedding gown. The last time he had seen her in white was when she had defeated Trigon. At that time, she was so happy, she had hugged him with enthusiasm. And now, he was looking at a picture of their wedding kiss. He had never kissed Raven. He had only been on that level with Starfire, but that love had cooled quite dramatically. He hadn't been like that with her for a while. But Raven. . .

What was it with Raven?

"May I sit down?" He asked Rachel. She looked up in surprise at him and blinked a few times. After a few moments when she had not yet answered him, he placed his hand on his hip and the corner of his lips curled upwards in a partial smirk. "Well?" His eyes were humorous and incredibly gentle. Was he really looking at _her _that way? Or was he envisioning that other girl?

"Okay." She answered and he pulled out the kitchen chair next to her and sat down. She pushed the album closer to him so they could share. This Dick may not share her memory of that day, but she looked at his clear blue eyes and realized she still had _him_. He was there. They didn't just share the same body. She was sure they shared the same heart, too. "May I ask you a question?"

Dick looked at her and smirked. "You already did," he replied.

She chuckled. "I haven't heard you say that one for a while, Dick." The way Rachel smiled at him made him feel a little uncomfortable. Was it love in her smile, her gaze, her voice? "It brings back memories, that's all."

"Memories, huh?"

"Yeah. Memories." She smiled again and looked at him truly at ease. Dick wasn't sure what she was getting at, but he wanted just to watch her if nothing else. He wondered why he felt like that all of a sudden, but was cut off by her question. "I just wanted to ask if you were in a relationship, you know, before this whole mess started."

Dick was taken aback by the question. However, when he thought about it, it made total sense. Rachel was married to him in this dream world. Of course she would be interested in whether or not her "husband" was involved with anyone else.

"I was." He paused and swallowed. "I was with Starfire, or Kori, for a while," he sighed at the thought of what had happened, "but, you see, it died out. Or, at least for me it did. I don't think Star ever moved on so I never officially broke it off, but I'm not in love with her. I don't think I ever was."

"What about that other girl?" She asked with earnest eyes as she turned her body to face him completely. "What about the other me?" She placed her hand over her heart and leaned closer to him.

Dick didn't know how to respond to that. He could barely process the thought. Raven was his second-in-command, his teammate, his _friend_. Had he ever thought of her romantically? He trusted her with his life, but did he trust her with his heart? However, this Raven with that look of longing in her eyes . . . might just be worth it. If it was only a dream, then it was okay to let himself live a little bit, right?

Without knowing exactly what he was doing, Dick inched his face closer to her. It was as if he was enchanted by her. Rachel closed her eyes as he gently placed his lips on hers. It was a very innocent kiss they shared, but it was still a kiss. As they pulled back from the kiss, Rachel looked at him with expectation. "So, do you think we might be able to pull it off?"

Dick knew what he had just done, but he still did not have a good answer for her. Should he get involved? Could he afford to? Rachel could see his indecision and decided to make her full point.

"You see," she placed her hand on his, "I made a vow before everyone I care about that I would love and be with you until death intervened." She looked into his cerulean eyes. "I plan on keeping my word," she said with a determined look. Dick knew if Rachel said she would do something, she would accomplish it at any risk. She was stubborn, but the honesty and earnestness that went with it were truly one of her best qualities. A quality he couldn't help but admire.

Dick looked down at her hand on his. After a moment of thought, he placed his other on top. "Okay," he said. "I believe you." He couldn't say he loved her, for he had never considered her as a romantic option. Even if this was a dream, he felt he couldn't lie. Not to her. Never to her.

They didn't know it, but Tara had watched the whole thing transpire. She was happy that Rachel had bonded with Dick so much. It would make everything easier to deal with. However, she wondered if it was wise to get attached to these people too much. She hadn't thought about it too much until then, but it would hurt to leave them and this bittersweet, beautiful dream behind. That is, if they ever woke up.

—Fin—

A/N: Okay, I *finally* have this chapter done! I haven't had much time to write this recently between work and my other stories "Amongst the Quiet" (which is almost to its conclusion at last!) and "Vacation Troubles". The former I am working on, but the latter I am having trouble putting together. Oh, well. Just remember reviews make me work faster! So, when there's trouble, you know what to do. . .

Signed,  
>Her Sappiness<p> 


	5. The Truth

Disclaimer: Despite my many pleas, the DC Universe is refusing to merge with the world of the Saps. Aw, poop.

Troubled Hearts  
>—The Truth—<br>FIVE

Dreams. . . Why do I have such dreams? I'm so different in these dreams that it's like I am seeing another me. Why do they feel so abstract? It's as if I am seeing something from a different angle, but still, I know it's my eyes.

These dreams are so bittersweet. I am there. Left all alone. Waiting for someone to rescue me from this world. But what world is it? I can barely see any of the people or scenery around me, nonetheless comprehend what is going on. It is so confusing. . .

They have been so sporadic that I can't put together any thoughts or words that go on around me. It's like I am reading a book that has no middle. And, no matter how much I wish it, no end. But, last night, I had another one.

It was a silhouette of a man and a woman. They were speaking softly to each other. Even though I couldn't hear what they were saying, I could almost sense the emotions coursing through their veins.

Doubt. Uncertainty. Sincerity. Hope. And, perhaps a glimpse of love?

The latter I am not certain of. After speaking, the woman put her hand on his. Hesitantly, but decidedly, he cradled her hand in-between his own. It was a token of affection, surely. But I could not tell if the man truly meant it. The woman spoke once more in such soft tones I could not hear or identify them. Then, after a moment, the man leaned in to grant her a single innocent kiss.

I remember feeling glad at this development. And then. . .

I woke up.

—

Cyborg was sitting next to the cot where this Terra was lying. Her brain waves showed that she was slipping from a dream to the world of the awoken. He had been concerned over the fact that Raven had let her come to the tower on a whim. However, he trusted her judgement.

Well, to a certain extent.

He had been sitting next to Terra, watching her rest the whole time she had been there. It was only the course of a single night. He would have to recharge soon, but he wanted to be alert and aware when this Terra awakened. He wanted to get information out of her, not to mention make sure she did not compromise the safety of Raven or any of his other sleeping comrades. He had to be certain she posed no threat before he even considered taking time to rest.

Her brain waves reached normality meaning she had drifted away from the land of slumber. Slowly, as if she didn't want to let go of her dream, her eyelids opened. Cyborg tensed as he waited for her reaction. Peaceful? Or hostile? What he found shocked him. Of all things, he did not expect this. She was. . .

Happy.

It was not in maliciousness of any kind. It was of pure and innocent delight. Cyborg had never seen Terra, this one or the other one they had known, smile as genuinely as this. She had always been bittersweet, perhaps even melancholy. Never had she been this joyful. How could she be when Slade, her conceived savior and master, had rejected her? She was in a completely different situation with people who had been her enemies as of the previous day. Why?

She looked at the man at her bedside. "I had the most beautiful dream," she said to him as if she had known he had been there the whole time. "Somewhat sad, but beautiful." Cyborg's narrowed his eyes in serious thought. Why did she mention that?

Before he asked any questions, Terra looked at her other side to see Raven sitting next to the cot of her fellow comrade. At first, Terra thought she would be at Robin's side. But, not today. Of course she knew why. She knew that Raven would be wondering how she had seen her teammate in two places at once.

"I don't understand," Raven said as she turned to see Terra sitting up next to Cyborg. She must have sensed her consciousness.

"Raven?" Cyborg asked. There was some kind of understanding that had passed between them. He didn't know what it was and the suspense was killing him. Raven had barely spoken a word since she had come to the Tower's infirmary with an almost battered Terra in her possession. Now it was time to end the questions and start the answering.

Raven turned back to the bedside of her friend. She slowly trailed her fingers through her long red hair. "How is it possible," she paused to swallow, "that I saw her as Slade's apprentice when here she is, sleeping peacefully in front of me?"

Terra was calm. She had anticipated this confrontation since she had accepted Raven's invitation. She looked down before stating her sad reality. "You didn't." As she spoke, she locked eyes with Raven so she could see and sense her sincerity.

Cyborg was in such a state of shock, he could barely comprehend the conversation before him. _Starfire. . . as Slade's apprentice? _"What do you mean you saw Starfire? She was here the whole time. And, not to mention, she's been asleep."

"What exactly do you know about her slumber?" Terra asked cautiously. There was no point in upsetting them, or telling them more than she should. After all, maybe not all was lost. Maybe she could make it up to her master in the long run.

Cyborg and Raven shared a glance. "Well, it was a dream. _All _of it was a dream," Raven said in answer as if disappointed. Her eyes unfocused as she was perhaps retrieving a wonderful, if painful, memory. She paused for a moment before snapping back from her dream to reality. "We were given something called dream serum. It put us to sleep one by one. We were taken to a different world; a world where all our powers were gone and only ourselves remained. At first, it was difficult. But then, it ended up bearable, and then. . . then it was beautiful." Raven smiled a deep, perhaps even loving, smile for one brief moment. "Unfortunately, it was only a dream world. One where all my hopes and dreams were taken away from me when I awoke," she ended bitterly.

Raven found she couldn't go on and Cyborg realized her inner turmoil. He continued, "Their brain waves were exactly identical. They had all gone into the same dream. A joint dream if you will. But that still doesn't explain how you are here _or _how Star was here and elsewhere at the same time. It's your turn. Spill."

Terra looked down before answering. "I had a dream myself. . . It was a lonely dream. At first I was all alone in a small white room. There was a woman who came every once in a while. I remember," she trailed off for a moment, "that I didn't like her. I have had this dream over and over again with only a little variation until a couple of weeks ago. I dreamt a man and two women came and freed me from that horrible prison. I saw a house," she looked troubled as she tried to recall what exactly she had dreamt. "It is very vague, but I remember being happy and yet pained to be there. There was a boy there. I can't remember what he looked like or who he was, but he was the source of my joy and my torment."

Raven wasn't sure, yet somehow _knew _that what she thought was the truth. "You're Tara, aren't you?"

"Is that my. . . my _real _name?" Terra looked at her for the truthful answer.

"Yes." Raven nodded. "But you said you weren't the real Terra. And you weren't 'asleep' when all this transpired. How does that work?"

"I don't rightly know myself. Slade kept his secrets well. All I know is that I don't have any memories of anytime before only six or seven months ago."

"The dream Tara had been there for nearly a year. That doesn't add up. Why the absence of nearly five months?"

"Like I said, I don't have all the answers you are seeking." Terra paused, "But I _can _tell you this." Terra looked between Cyborg and Raven and back again in unsteady silence. Then another unbearably silent moment. _What exactly is she about to reveal? _"I'm not the only one who has dreams." She said.

Raven was about to ask who could possibly be dreaming, but then all Hell broke out.

—Fin—

A/N: Yes, I _am _evil. Sorry for the long absence. I've been writing "Vacation Troubles" and few other stories. I'm updating this one now, but then I'll work on chapter six of "Vacation Troubles". I'm trying to alternate between the two stories. It's hard since they are both so utterly different! Also, check out "Troubled Titans in Tokyo". I posted chapter one earlier today. That has no shipping. Just typical Titans getting into all sorts of trouble. And since when isn't that fun? *ahem*four other stories have the word 'trouble' in it*coughcough* *wheeze*

What's your point? Lol

Until then,

Her Sappiness out!


	6. The Parting

Disclaimer:_ *whine*_Really? Do I have to?_*whine*_ Fine. . . I may rule the world of Sappiness, but obviously the 'Teen Titans' were already living their lives in the sad world known as 'reality' to join in. Therefore, not under my jurisdiction. Sorry.

Oh, you will be. . . _*evil laugh*_

**Please read "Troubled Mind" chapter six (Karl Batroll) before reading this one. Believe me, it will make a whole lot more sense.**

"Troubled Hearts"  
>—The Parting—<br>SIX

"So," Kori said as she sat next to Dick on the couch, "how are things going between you and Rachel?" Dick thought there might be some hidden meaning behind her question at first. However, once he looked into her innocent green eyes, he realized there was no secret agenda in her inquiry. Why then did she ask? Was she still in love with him? He could not seem to wrap his mind around the idea that she was sincerely concerned or even wishing them well.

"I'm sorry, Star," he told her as he rubbed the back of his neck with his right hand. "I—I just don't know right now. Things are complicated and I don't think it is wise to get close to these people. They aren't _real_." He was about to say more, but Kori's eyes watered and he saw her start to shed some tears. "Star?" He was about to place his stray hand on her shoulder, but she stood up before he could. More tears were freely running down her slightly red cheeks now.

"He's real to _me!" _She raised her voice as many emotions were tumbling through her. Desperation. Hope. Insecurity. Attachment. Dick had seen her feel sad, hurt, enraged, and disappointed, but nothing like this. What was with this dream world that messed with their emotions so? Before he could say another word, she ran out of the room and up to the bedroom she shared with her former teammate, Tara.

Dick's eyes opened wide. Who in this world was she talking about?

—

Tara rubbed her friend's back as she emptied out all her tears. "I do not," Kori swallowed, "no, I _cannot _believe him!" Kori said through her sobs. "I finally found my 'one'. Surely, Robin is wrong. I do not want him to be a fake!"

So _that _was the cause of all her suffering. Roy Harper.

However, it was true what Dick said. This was a dream. Then, why did it feel so _real_? Was this world designed to break them down? Why did it have to tear their hopes and desires to shreds?

One thing was for certain though. The emotions they were experiencing in this 'world' were true. It was so real, it felt almost tangible. Like they could reach out and touch it. They could only brace themselves for what would next.

—

Kori had calmed down over the course of the morning. She had cried until she could not produce any more tears. It had helped, but only so much. It was hard to rush things such as this. But, if she came to terms with what was happening, with the truth, she would be able to cope, right?

Dick had hoped so. However, just when he thought he had achieved some sort of sanity in this roller coaster of emotions, something had to mess it all up. And it all began with the ringing of their doorbell.

Dick looked around silently. No one seemed to be downstairs at the time. Should he answer the door? Could it possibly be Slade hiding behind it, waiting for them to lower their guard enough to strike? There was so much they didn't know about this crazy world.

The doorbell rang again.

"He's here!" Rachel said excitedly as she nearly flew down the stairs to the front door. She opened the door wide with an enthusiastic smile on her face. She looked so happy. . .

Dick didn't know why, but for a moment he felt a twinge of some negative emotion he didn't quite recognize flare in his heart. So he walked over to the front door to see who possibly could make Rachel so ecstatic. When he saw the man standing on the doormat, he about fell over from shock.

Dick recognized the person at the door immediately. "_Speedy_?" He asked. Could there possibly be others here? Or was it just another imposter? As much as he wanted to, when Dick saw the redhead's face ease into a smile so much like the archer would, he couldn't seem to think of him as an 'imposter'. But, neither could he think of him as an ally. He had to be cautious.

"Roy, it's so good to see you again!" Rachel gave him a big hug and then spotted Lian in her infant seat next to him. "Oh, you brought Lian too!"

"Uh, Rach?" Roy asked. "Do you mind if we actually got _inside _the house?"

Rachel chucked partially in embarrassment. Still, she smiled so easily. Dick could hardly believe that this was a form of Raven. _No_, he told himself, _she's __not__ Raven and this man is not Speedy. They are only fakes. I need to remember that._

Rachel turned around and ushered Roy and his daughter Lian into the house. But, in the meantime, she saw her husband's face turned from confused to stoic; almost frigid. She raised an eyebrow at his peculiar behavior_. Just like Raven. . ._

"C'mon, Dick. Lighten up!" She grabbed him by his elbow and also ushered him to the kitchen table. Once there, Rachel stood over Lian's infant seat. "She's gotten so much bigger than the last time I saw her!" She started playing with her. Her face was so relaxed and at ease with the little girl.

Roy, on the other hand, looked perplexed. "It's only been a week or so since I was last here." His brow furrowed. What was going on?

_A week_. . . Rachel thought. _A week ago I was 'gone' and this Dick wasn't here either_. Rachel and her husband exchanged a look of worriment. Neither of them would remember anything from then.

Roy sat down at the table. Dick and Rachel soon followed suit at his gesture. Roy put his hand on Rachel's before speaking. He took a deep breath before opening his mouth in concern. "Tell me, is 'everything' better or worse?"

Again, the couple shared a look. What should they tell him? He was one of Rachel's closest friends and he seemed to know at least a little about their predicament. "I don't know what to tell you, Roy. I hardly know what is going on myself."

"So, you're better?" Roy looked hopeful but then thought about the implications of Rachel being 'better'. Wouldn't that also mean that _she _could one day be gone too? His face fell.

Rachel looked down before facing Roy. "I don't know if I would call it 'better'." Rachel fidgeted. "It's just that I'm _me _again."

Roy's eyes grew wide in shock. He didn't know what he was expecting when Rachel texted him the previous day to come over. He wasn't sure if he should be happy for her or saddened for himself.

Light footsteps were heard on the stairs and the three of them looked to the hallway to see who it was. Roy's face lightened up in excitement at the sight of Kori. In exchange, Kori's eyes widened in delight and relief_. He's here. __My_ _Roy is here_.

Kori suddenly felt nervous. He was staring at her like she might vanish if he took his eyes off of her for even a moment. She shyly played with her long red hair. "Hey," Roy said after a moment of silence. "I missed you." He stood up from the chair and walked over to her. He was standing by her silently before he embraced her gently.

Soon she wrapped her arms around him too. She felt so safe and warm with him. How could such a powerful and comforting feeling such as this be artificial? "I missed you too," she admitted simply as she leaned into his strong form and smiled.

Dick gave his wife a very perplexed look while she glanced at the couple in front of her in shock. "Um, did something transpire while I was 'gone'?" Rachel asked curiously.

Kori looked away from the man in whose arms she was being held in. "A wonderful thing!" She said brightly, yet with challenging eyes directed at her ex-boyfriend in the real world. "Something so _right _I would not wish to exchange it with anything else." After a meaningful glance at Dick, Kori stepped back from the embrace. She interlocked her hand with Roy's instead. "Did you bring Lian?" She asked him with a kind, sincere smile that took his breath away.

"Of course," he smiled back. However, he had noticed the look between Kori and Dick. What was going on there? "But first, one matter of business. Dick," Roy forced him to make eye contact before speaking again. "Are _you _'gone' now?"

Dick's eyes grew a bit wider. "How could you tell?"

"I'm more perceptive than you take me for," he said steadfastly. "Your mannerisms are completely different. And, you aren't open. You're just like that other Rachel. I think she called herself 'Raven'." Roy turned back from talking to Dick to the redhead next to him. "Kori, you aren't going to go away, are you?" He squeezed her hand as he spoke. "I don't want to be left behind again." His eyes became sad and intense. "I don't want _you _to leave me."

Kori blinked twice and then gave a wholehearted smile. "I won't ever leave you, Roy." Then she leaned up and gave him a quick, but meaningful kiss. They gazed into each other's eyes for a good long moment. However, the moment was broken soon thereafter.

"Star, we need to talk." Dick said mildly, but decidedly. "Where's a good place?"

Roy raised a brow and realized there was more drama going on than he initially thought. "There's a park down the block a bit to the right. You'll be able to have some privacy there," he replied.

"Thanks." Dick grasped Kori's free hand and tugged gently so she would come with him. At first she resisted. But then Roy nodded his head and told her, "It's okay. You should go." She let go of Roy's hand and followed her ex-boyfriend out the front door. They went down the block to the exact park where she had discovered her true feelings not too long ago.

As soon as they got to the swings at the playground, Dick let go of her hand and faced her. "Star, listen to me." He told her in a firm, but not harsh tone. "I told you we shouldn't get close to these people. They will only become a hinder us from going back home. To our _real _home."

Kori sat down on the same swing she was on when she found out how truly _not _alone she really was. Roy helped her realize so much. She finally came to her decision. "If it means I can be loved, I do not wish to go back." She told Dick throwing him off completely.

"What do you mean? What about your duty to the city?" He asked her unbelievingly.

However, she responded with a burning fire in her eyes. "No, what about my duty to my heart! I am tired of always being second best." She stood up so she was eye-to-eye with him. "Here, in this world, I can be whoever I want. There are no expectations to be met. I can be another me that I have only dreamed about." She was gesturing emphatically.

By the time she finished her little rant, Dick could only say, "That's exactly it, Star. This _is _a dream!" Kori's eyes hardened at his tone and words. "None of it's real. This Roy Harper is nothing like the real one." Her eyes widened at his last sentence. It intrigued her.

"Wait, what do you mean 'real one'?" She could barely form the words in any sort of logical manner. It was just so mind-boggling. Could there really be a Roy Harper back 'home'? Could her 'one' still be waiting for her? Her mind and heart were conflicted. Where did they stand really? The possibility seemed lukewarm. There were no absolutes. It wasn't hot, nor was it cold. She couldn't even tell if she wanted it to be one or the other. It felt as if she was numb; not knowing what she was truly feeling at the time. Thoughts were streaming through her mind like bullets in a Bruce Willis movie.

Dick could see her conflicted spirit. He gently put his hand on her shoulder, alerting her to his presence once more. "Roy Harper lives in Steel City. You would know him as 'Speedy'."

"Roy is _Speedy_?" She asked skeptically. How could these polar opposites be one and the same? Roy was kind, wise, caring, and compassionate. Speedy, on the other hand, was egotistical, narcissistic, and self-absorbed. He didn't seem to have the depth of personality that this Roy had, nor the beauty. How could this possibly be?

"Yes, that is exactly what I am saying. This Roy is merely a figment of the real one. I'm sorry, but you have to believe me. Let him go. . ."

Kori began wavering on her feet as he spoke. It was almost as if she was unsteady. Was she going to faint from this revelation? She held her hand to her head as she stumbled. Her eyes became unfocused and hazy. Dick, scared for her, rushed over to wrap his arms around her. It was just in time. She collapsed at that moment.

Dick began to lose his steadiness when she wouldn't wake up or respond when he called her name. Not knowing what else to do, he picked her up bridal style and walked back to the house. He didn't know what he would say to those in the house. Whatever it might be, it wouldn't be enough.

—

Dick rang the doorbell. It would be too hard to open the front door with a tall unconscious girl in his arms, so he didn't even try. Rachel came to the door a few moments later. Once she opened it and looked out, she panicked. "Oh my God! Dick, what happened?"

At that outburst of excitement, Roy was a footstep behind her almost immediately. He saw the girl he might just be falling in love with draped in his supposed friend's arms. "What did you do to her?!" He couldn't stay calm any longer.

"I'm sorry," Dick said helplessly. "She just passed out when we were talking. I don't know what is going on."

"You idiot!" Roy snapped. "I know what Vic said. Only bad things happen when you guys sleep."_ She told me she wouldn't leave me. . . She promised!_

"You two, _shut up _and get her to the couch." Rachel's voice was chilling to say the least. It shook the two guys out of an ensuing argument. "She might as well be comfortable." She mumbled as she led Dick to the couch in the living room. As soon as he laid her down gently, Rachel covered her with a blanket like she was tucking a child into bed.

Even though tensions were still high, Rachel couldn't help but say, "Well, I guess now is a bad time to bring out the whole point of me bringing us together."

"Probably," both Roy and Dick recited in unison. They checked her temperature and pulse. It seemed as if she was merely in a deep sleep. They were still worried. What would happen to her? Would she still be the same? Would she be someone different when she woke up?

"Well, my news doesn't even compare with what is happening in my living room, so I might as well spill." She shrugged and took a shaky breath in and out. This caused both men in the room to look away from the unconscious girl on the couch over to Rachel. Roy had always known Rachel to be calm and composed. Now, she was anything but. "I know I should be excited, but with all this commotion going on. . . I don't quite know how to take the news."

"Rach, tell us," Roy told her, "What has been going on? You aren't yourself. Please, talk to us. We'll understand. I promise."

"Can you really promise that? I hardly know what to think myself."

"It's not bad news, is it?" Roy asked, but Rachel just walked into the kitchen and gestured for the two men to follow her to the table.

"I'm not quite sure anymore. But I did want the two of you to know first." Suspense ran high as she composed herself by long, but steady breaths. She took turns looking them both in the eyes and then grasped their hands in hers. She gave a small, shy smile before saying what she looked forward to and yet shuddered to speak.

"Dick," she squeezed his hand, "I'm pregnant."

This piece of info seemed to temporarily pause their situation with her roommate passed out on the living room couch. "That's wonderful, Rach! Congrats!" Roy stood up with pride and pure unadulterated joy for her. He gave her a big bear hug and kissed her on both cheeks. "I know it is what you've always wanted," he calmed down a bit. "You've been trying for a while. I wish all of your hopes and dreams are fulfilled in this child. You've earned it."

After Rachel's and Roy's rejoicing, Tara went out from her hiding place and walked towards the couch. "Star," she started as she kneeled before her, "wherever you go from here, please, be happy. I don't want you to end up being the damsel in distress like I was. I know it isn't your style. Please, just, just find your way home." Tara played with Kori's soft red hair for a few moments. "And, if you could, please free me too. I know I have no home with the Titans, but I hope that I'll be able to find one somewhere. . . Well, somewhere away from here. Please, my friend. Don't let me cry anymore." Tara closed her eyes in peace. "Please, if possible, help me find happiness." Then she became content and said a final prayer unknowing whether or not it would be heard. "I enjoyed being your roommate. We both had some trying times, but we always pulled ourselves together. It was good to have a friend like you. If I ever get back to the real world, would you be my friend again?"

—Fin—

A/N: Um, I think just about everyone reading this is going to hate me all over again. I know I haven't updated this story in like, nine months. Two, it was a HUGE cliffhanger. Three, this chapter is not a continuation of that storyline. And to top it all off, Kori. . . well, you'll have to find out. So yeah, I have flames practically coming at me now, I'm sure. But, for all those of you who want to know what is coming next, be kind and review. Believe me, reviews give me the energy and incentive to write more.

And, for all those who want more "Vacation Troubles", please review. I've had chapter six up for about two months and I only have ONE single review. Yes, literally ONE. I work hard on my stories, so please show you read and appreciate them. Thank you,

Signed,  
>Her Sappiness<p> 


	7. The Awakening

Disclaimer: Nope. Not mine.

Troubled Hearts  
>—The Awakening—<br>SEVEN

"_Like I said, I don't have all the answers you are seeking," Terra paused. "But I can tell you this." Terra looked between Cyborg and Raven and back again in unsteady silence. Then another unbearably silent moment_. What exactly is she about to reveal? _Raven wondered. "I'm not the only one who has dreams," she said._

_Raven was about to ask who else could possibly be dreaming, but then all Hell broke out._

Their whole surroundings seemed to explode after her confession. It was almost as if it was done deliberately to conceal whatever truth or even half-truth Terra was about to unveil. The infirmary was a mess. It was strange, Raven had not sensed an unfamiliar aura and none of Cyborg's tech had indicated an intruder. Nevertheless, the doors had been blasted down and many of the machines had been scathed if not altogether destroyed from the blast.

When Raven could process enough to see what exactly was going on, she looked at the scene before her. The machines connected to her sleeping comrades along with their bodies were still intact thankfully. However, next to Starfire's cot was . . . her double. Then it hit her. It had been starbolts that had damaged their medical facility.

Terra seemed almost unfazed by her former associate's appearance. "I knew you would come," she said with almost no emotion.

"Not to rescue you, I can assure you," this version of Starfire said icily. "You have failed our savior, Slade. As you know, he does not take that lightly. Now, I will carry out your former mission." She pointed a starbolt at the sleeping Starfire's cot.

"You know, those dreams we have. . ."

Starfire lowered her arm slightly at Terra's intriguing sentence. The starbolt vanished.

"Do you really want to keep seeing them?" Terra asked her former companion. It was a peculiar question. It was true; this Starfire lowered her defenses at this turn in their 'conversation', but was that Terra's true intent?

"Of course not," Starfire told her firmly. "They are of a foolish, disillusioned girl so unlike me." Her face became more determined to finish this and she raised her arm to its former position.

"Then why are you doing this?" Terra inquired once again.

"Dreams are pointless. I am merely guaranteeing my survival and showing my master my worth as his apprentice." She now held a starbolt, preparing to strike. "Unlike you, I _will _become his ideal apprentice and serve him faithfully."

"I won't let you harm yourself." Terra stepped closer to Starfire.

"What's this? Have you been converted already? Believe me, I am only helping myself." Her eyes glowed green, but just as her starbolt left her hand, Terra tackled her and knocked her down. It caused her starbolt to make a hole in the ceiling. Raven was able to use a shield of dark energy to keep debris from harming her companions. Instead, she channeled it down to the sides of the cots.

"I won't let you hurt my friends!" Raven's eyes glowed an ethereal white for a moment as she charged up.

"I can take you both!" The other Starfire challenged.

"We'll see, won't we?" Raven smiled almost evilly. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" She shouted and the three of them sunk into the floor and traveled to the outside of the tower. On the way, Raven used her telepathy to speak into Cyborg's mind, _Cy, stay with them. Please. I need you to protect them with the remainder of your power. Also, please continue their treatment. If Starfire comes back, then we'll have an extra hand. I don't even know who Terra is going to fight against, or if she is simply going to wait for both me and that other Starfire to wipe each other out. Please, just keep them safe._

_Good luck, Rae._ Cyborg thought back to her, although he didn't know if she could hear him or not. He would have to recharge soon since he had stayed up all night observing Terra. However, he was determined not to let Raven down. He would initially be flushing out all three of his sleeping comrades' systems. However, Raven had given him an idea. He just needed one of them to recover. Well, for the moment. Starfire had been the first one to 'sleep' after Raven. Also, because of her alien biology, her immune system was much stronger than a human's, meta-gene or not. This all meant that perhaps, if he focused everything on _her_, she might recover faster.

It hurt Cyborg to seemingly abandon Beast Boy and Robin, even temporarily. In times of crisis, you are forced to make priorities that might not be preferable in any other situation. They are hard choices, although necessary. He didn't know if it was his half mechanical brain that calculated the best survival rate for himself and Raven, or perhaps it was just his imperfect human heart wanting to live at the possible expense of others' freedom. However, he could only hope they would understand due to the peculiar circumstances.

With that thought clear in his mind, Cyborg shut off the machines that were flushing out the nanobots out of his two male teammates and concentrated everything he had on Starfire. He wasn't exactly religious, but right there he prayed he would make it in time.

On the outside of the Tower, Starfire had flown over to their training grounds. Obviously, she wanted to make the chase harder for the other two. Terra used her powers to summon a rock to soar on behind Starfire. Raven also levitated herself through the various obstacles in pursuit.

However, Raven knew this place better than the other two. She wasn't as fast as Starfire, but she had been through countless exercises here and could manipulate this place using her powers when the other two couldn't. It gave her the advantage.

Starfire wound her way through the rock formations followed by Terra. Raven concentrated. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos," she spoke and flipped the obstacle course on. Starfire was watching Terra behind her when she was ambushed by laser blasts from various heat seeking machines that popped out of the earth. Raven had purposely switched it to her Tamaranean teammate's setting.

Starfire screamed in pain and fury. She fluctuated her flight patterns to try to trick the machines. However, this was a course designed specifically for the Titans. It was used to their various tactics. Despite being different in body and personality, their instinct was the same. She couldn't dodge them all. Although her body was not damaged by the blasts, it slowed her down enough so that Terra and eventually Raven could catch up.

"Starfire, stop!" Terra called to her when she was close enough and grabbed her ankle.

Starfire twisted onto her back in midair so she was facing Terra. "I'm not going to listen to a traitor like you!" She tried to kick Terra's grip loose.

"You're calling _me _a traitor? You're the one who abandoned me!" Her grip only became firmer.

"You betrayed our savior, Slade. Anyone who leaves their salvation is a traitor," Starfire hissed. When Terra didn't loosen her grip, Starfre flew faster and hurled starbolts at the offender hanging on to her.

Terra summoned pieces of the boulder she was zooming along on to take the blows. It wasn't hard. Slade had made sure she could completely control her powers before using her. Unlike the previous one, _she _had been chosen. _She _had been perfected. And then she became as _nothing_. And this Starfire would only end up the same way.

She would be used, tattered, and then thrown out.

"It doesn't have to be like this, Starfire. _Believe _me," Terra pleaded with her.

"Do you really think you can convince me to stop trying?" Starfire glared at her with disgust evident in her eyes. "I need _it _gone. You think, just because it doesn't affect you, that it will be beneficial to _not _end that process? _My _process?" She was gesturing her hands emphatically. She couldn't believe the nerve of this _failure_ in front of her. "You don't know the beginning of insecurity, of doubt, of fear!" However, little by little, Starfire's speech became slurred, but no less intense. She shook her head as if to get her act together.

Terra's eyes widened in realization and then dimmed in sadness. _It's going to end. . . Just like Raven._

As that thought went through Terra's head, Starfire's body started to shake. Then, with much gusto, as if she didn't want to give in, she summoned a huge starbolt. It was bigger than some of the boulders around them. Both Raven and Terra knew that if they were hit by that, they might never recover.

Raven had become her soul-self and traveled through the training grounds and out of Starfire's shooting range. Terra wasn't as mobile or as lucky.

With one last shout of fury, Starfire unleashed her starbolt upon everything around her. Including Terra. Her once so-called comrade felt her body burn as it fell from the no longer existing rock she had been soaring on. Her vision blurred. She felt helpless. Mortal. Sad.

Starfire was wrong. Terra had felt all those emotions. Insecurity, doubt, and, most of all, the fear. Would she wake up again? Would she even exist? What would happen to Starfire? Would she be free or lost?

She felt herself slip into unconsciousness before she even hit the ground. However, she had one last vision.

"_Star," she felt herself kneel before her sleeping friend, "wherever you go from here, please, be happy. I don't want you to end up being the damsel in distress like I was. I know it isn't your style. Please, just, just find your way home." Even in the darkness, she could see her friend's soft red hair. She had it between her fingers. Curiously, she stroked and played with it. She could tell she was about to speak some more, but had no clue where it was going. "And, if you could, please free me too. I know I have no home with the Titans, but I hope that I'll be able to find one somewhere. . . Well, somewhere away from here. Please, my friend. Don't let me cry anymore." _

_The darkness grew, and she realized her eyes were closed. "Please, if possible, help me find happiness." The plea was pathetic, laughable even, but it was genuine. She was so lost. She felt trapped._

"_I enjoyed being your roommate. We both had some trying times, but we always pulled ourselves together. It was good to have a friend like you. If I ever get back to the real world, would you be my friend again?"_

"Terra!" Raven screamed as she saw her fall and land hard. She was on her back with her limbs thrown about like a rag doll. Her eyes were wide and glazed over. Blood was pooling around her partially charred skin. Was she dead? But her lips were slightly curled in a smile. . . Perhaps her last one.

Raven didn't have much time to look at, nonetheless examine, Terra. Starfire was out of control. She was slowly making her way to where Terra was, wobbling the whole way like she was under the influence. There was madness and hysteria in her glowing green eyes.

—

Back in the infirmary, Cyborg heard a loud explosion outside. It reverberated through the walls. He quickly jumped into action. He linked his system wirelessly into the surveillance cameras outside. There wasn't much he could see. Almost the entire training ground was under a canvas of airborne dirt and dust. He switched through various cameras trying to get a good angle of something, anything!

After flipping through various cameras, he came upon a telling one. It was of that other Starfire unsteadily hobbling through the settling dust. Towards. . . a broken and bloody Terra.

"Oh, no," Cyborg whispered in disbelief and horror. How could it have gone so wrong so fast? "Rae, you better be alright," he breathed. Then, while keeping a watch of that scene, he used his cybernetic eye to flash through many other parts of the Tower searching for the girl he saw as his baby sister. The girl he had just gotten back.

After many desperate moments, he found her.

She was flying towards the pair with a look of determination. Her eyes and hands were glowing black. Starfire, unaware or unworried about the threat looming behind her, towered next to Terra's limp form. She clenched a starbolt in her fist until it formed a long threatening lance. It cackled with ever increasing energy being shaped into a single weapon.

"Rae, you won't get there in time," Cyborg lamented. But he knew he could and had to help. Once again syncing into the Tower's security system, he directed multiple missiles to Starfire's weaker points. Locked on, he launched them, "Fire!"

They sliced through the air to their targeted areas.

And connected.

Starfire lurched back from the force of the explosions. The impact wasn't enough to seriously injure her, but she lay flung about on the ground ironically mimicking the girl inverted from her. She was stunned long enough for Raven to reach them.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos," Cyborg read Raven's lips when she spoke and her hand-like dark energy picked Starfire up and contained her. A tear ran down Raven's face. It was not in sadness or fear, but in anger. She was livid. As she walked closer to the slowly recovering girl in her claw of darkness, the pulverized rocks on the ground around her began to vibrate. She was releasing waves of pressurized air due to her unrestrained emotions.

This girl, wearing Starfire's face or not, would pay for this act of cruel inhumanity. Yes, Raven would show her what all the powers of Hell were like. There was no way for her out of this.

"Raven, don't do it," Cyborg said aloud even though he knew she couldn't hear him. "Killing her won't fix anything."

He could see Starfire's eyes were desperately striving to open completely but it was no use. She looked as if she was slowly stopping to function. What was wrong with her? It was good that Raven wouldn't have to worry about getting as seriously injured as Terra, but it also wasn't good that Starfire couldn't protect herself from Raven's dark self.

Raven's eyes were starting to turn red. It was her father's hold starting to take over her. Cyborg hadn't seen her so worked up since the end of the world. The claw was tightening, squeezing Starfire so much that she couldn't breathe.

No, wait. She already wasn't breathing. Her eyes were glazed over. She really was—

Cyborg's bleak thoughts were interrupting by coughing from behind him.

He swung around and saw Starfire, the real Starfire, coughing with her eyes fluttering open. She licked her lips a few times and tried to speak. "W-where am I?" She finally spoke after a moment. She turned her head around with a great deal of effort. "Roy?"

"Star!" Cyborg clamored over to his teammate. His _awakened _teammate. She was back!

Starfire looked at the dark shape coming towards her. She recognized it as a man, but he was too muscular and the voice too deep to be _him_. "I broke my promise to you." A single tear slipped from her dim green eyes. "I'm so sorry. . ."

—Fin—

A/N: Sorry this took so long, guys! I have been working on it, truly I have. It's just been taking its time seeing as I am TERRIBLE at fight scenes. That really was what was holding this chapter back from being completed. I am working on "Vacation Troubles" chapter seven. I have a lot of it done. I am just having trouble (oh my goodness, unintentional pun) with the banter. I can't get it quite right. . . And I know it is very important for that story.

Well, comment. What do YOU think will happen next? I wanna know what you think! I can't read your thoughts, mind you. That long distance thing kinda gets in the way.

Signed.  
>Her Sappiness<p> 


	8. The News

Disclaimer: If it wasn't mine when I started writing fanfics in 2006, why would now be any different? In other words, nope.

Troubled Hearts  
>—The News—<br>EIGHT

"_Well, my news doesn't even compare with what is happening in my living room, so I might as well spill." Rachel shrugged and took a shaky breath in and out. This caused both men in the room to look away from the unconscious girl on the couch over to Rachel. Roy had always known Rachel to be calm and composed. Now, she was anything but. "I know I should be excited, but with all this commotion going on. . . I don't quite know how to take the news."_

"_Rach, tell us," Roy told her, "What has been going on? You aren't yourself. Please, talk to us. We'll understand. I promise."_

"_Can you really promise that? I hardly know what to think myself."_

"_It's not bad news, is it?" Roy asked, but Rachel just walked into the kitchen and gestured for the two men to follow her to the table._

"_I'm not quite sure anymore. But I did want the two of you to know first." Suspense ran high as she composed herself by long, but steady breaths. She took turns looking them both in the eyes and then grasped their hands in hers. She gave a small, shy smile before saying what she looked forward to and yet shuddered to speak. _

"_Dick," she squeezed his hand, "I'm pregnant."_

_This piece of info seemed to temporarily pause their situation with her roommate passed out on the living room couch. "That's wonderful, Rach! Congrats!" Roy stood up with pride and pure unadulterated joy for her. He gave her a big bear hug and kissed her on both cheeks. "I know it is what you've always wanted," he calmed down a bit. "You've been trying for a while. I wish all of your hopes and dreams are fulfilled in this child. You've earned it."_

"Thanks, Roy. That really means a lot to me." She gave a wide, appreciative smile. If for only a short period of time, the world seemed to shrink. Even though there were many problems and concerns lying on the horizon, they chose to ignore that. Soon it was only the three of them in the room that mattered.

"So, what are you looking forward to?" Roy inquired as he sat back down at the table. He wanted to know _everything_. It had been so long since he felt he could just _visit _with the two of them. And with news such as this, he wanted nothing else.

Rachel tapped a finger on her chin as she pondered for a moment before responding. "I want comfort. Warmth. Love. Hope."

"Oh," Roy slapped his hand on the table in excitement, "I am _so _going to add to this list! How about. . . Sleepless nights. Dirty diapers. Endless crying. And eventually there will be teething. Potty training. Oh, and don't forget. The wonderful age of two." Roy leaned on his elbow with a smirk. "I'm sure you've heard the rumors."

"Ah, yes," Rachel leaned back in her chair, "the Terrible Twos. I _have _heard the tales. I'm sure you'll have _plenty _of experience and tips by the time ours gets there." She grinned. "After all, you _are _going first," she replied in an almost snarky tone.

"Touché." Roy smirked as he conceded. Well, perhaps. "Okay, for the next order of business, we are going to decide names for us."

"Names for us? What do you mean, Roy?" Rachel inquired.

"Well, are you Mommy and Daddy? Mama and Papa?" Roy looked eager; almost as if this was his child. "And, of course, the _most _important part," Roy paused for suspense, "what is _my _name going to be?"

"Oh, come on, Roy. Don't be ridiculous," Rachel said in a flat tone. "You're definitely going to be _Uncle _Roy," she finished with a wide smile.

Roy looked at her at an angle in a mock serious manner. "Godfather?"

"We'll _think _about it." Rachel rolled her eyes. "But, one thing for certain." She held a single finger up for emphasis.

"Oh, do tell," Roy held his chin in his hand and fluttered his eyelashes in a schoolgirlish manner to mock a typical gossip-loving teenager.

Rachel chuckled at his ridiculous gesture. "I know they are going to be best friends! Just like we were." Once more, Rachel placed her hands on each of theirs. This would be just like old times. It _would_.

"Well, duh!" Roy rolled his eyes in a teasing manner. Then he smirked. "Or, if it is a boy, how about boyfriend and girlfriend? Eh?"

"Oh," Rachel gasped in excitement, "then we could name him Leon!"

"Leon and Lian. Don't you think that would be a little confusing?" Roy looked seriously displeased, but Rachel knew it was all a bluff. He was enjoying this as much as she was.

"Well, then what about Liam and Lian?" Rachel proposed in a joking manner.

Roy shook his head at the entire nonsensical conversation he had stumbled into. "Not a chance." Of course, he savored it nonetheless. The three of them had stuck together through thick and thin; despite trials and tribulations. This was the only part of his life that was a constant.

"You're no fun," Rachel pouted in a playful, almost teasing manner.

Dick was, well, _confused _for lack of a better term. While something inside of him was urging him not to trust these people, another part was starting to get comfortable. Something about the excitement in Rachel's eyes and the friendly banter around him that made him feel right at home. What was this feeling called? It was almost murky, but warm. He was lost in the conversation, lost in his emotions, and lost in this whole world. But, why didn't that bother him?

"What do _you _think, Dick?" Rachel turned and looked at him expectantly.

That feeling again. Thick and warm and overwhelming. "I think that," Dick paused, "I just can't compete with you two," he chuckled as he burst into a wide breathtaking smile. "So, since when did we decide that it's a boy?"

"What, you want a girl?" Rachel asked with a grin that made Dick feel. . . What was it called again? Her steady, almost sultry gaze she looked at him with was irresistible. And he found, he didn't want to fight it anymore.

So Dick surrendered and gave in to the pleasant, mysterious feeling. "I'd rather have a daddy's girl than a momma's boy, thank you very much," he replied with a cocky smirk. He almost surprised himself on how natural it seemed.

"Well, that's only a _little _stereotypical." Rachel rolled her eyes and leaned her chin on her hand.

The curve of her lips in a small one-sided smirk, the playful expression in her eyes, and the tilt of her face, made her appear sensual to Dick. There it was again. That overbearing, tumultuous, teeming emotion that lured him in and attempted to drown him. Oh, how he wanted to let it. He wanted it to just wash over him and give in.

"Only a little," Dick kidded her in return. Yes, this was much better. Nothing about these people were bad. He felt at ease with the people before him and he found he liked it. He liked it a lot. Letting those emotions guide him was definitely for the best. Everything around him felt surreal. It was better than having to be worried about troublesome cities and villains all the time. Why would he when this fantastical world was ready and willing to accept him? A world where nothing else mattered than what was before him. And right now, with Raven, no, _Rachel _just in his grasp, and his best friend Speedy, no, _Roy _at his side, that seemed tantalizing. He was right where he wanted to be.

—

Meanwhile, Tara was still kneeling next to the sofa in the living room; next to her friend Kori. She could overhear what the others were talking about in the kitchen. So, Dick was finally accepting this. She wasn't quite sure how to digest that piece of news. Should she rejoice now that he felt at peace with his situation? Or should she sorrow at his losing incentive to go back?

_Was _there a way to get back? Tara wasn't sure that she would choose or _want _to go back; even if it was a possibility for her. And if Kori _did _make her way back home, how would she feel without 'her Robin'? Sure, she had found happiness with Roy, but he wasn't back in the Titan world, right?

Tara felt conflicted for obvious reasons. Loneliness because of the potential loss of Kori. Sadness that Roy and Kori would most likely be parted eternally. Relief that Dick was finally consenting to his being in this world. Joy from Rachel's good news. But, most of all, regret that she never got to thank Kori or help _her _when she needed it. She might never get the chance to. And, now Tara was all alone again in a house full of mixed emotions. What would become of her?

She knew the answers to all those questions would become known only _after _Kori woke up. But who would she be when she awakened?

As Tara pondered over that question, the redhead's eyes began to flicker and her brow creased.

"Uh, guys. You need to get over here!" Tara said in alarm. This immediately grabbed the attention from the three friends in the other half of the open area. They got up from the table and rushed over to the couch. Roy faster than the other two.

"What's going on?" Rachel asked as she came over. "Is she waking up?"

"Ugh," Kori moaned as her eyes opened, but winced immediately after that. "Man, I must've drank too much. This has got to be the worst hangover I have ever had. . ." She held her hand to cover her eyes from the sunlight in the room. "What happened?" she asked as she noticed the people standing by her.

"Kori!" Rachel smiled like there was no tomorrow. "It's really you!"

"Rach, too loud." Kori tried to sit up, but fell back onto the couch. "Uh, yeah. Must be a hangover," she whispered to herself. She looked up at each individual one-by-one as she adjusted to the light. There was Rachel, as happy as could be. Dick who looked a bit stunned. Roy standing there speechless, but with a single tear slipping down his cheek.

Wait, why was Roy here? And crying? Talk about weird.

"Okay, did I get another concussion or something? 'Cause you guys look like I came back from the dead or something. . ." Kori was starting to become concerned. Especially when they were looking at each other, trying to figure out to say. Or at least to get someone else to speak first. Kori looked at her side and saw a girl with long blonde hair and sad blue eyes staring at her. "Who are you?" she asked confused. This whole situation was mind-boggling and no one was answering any of her ever increasing amount of questions.

"Kori," Rachel said gently, "we have a lot to say. So please be patient and listen."

"Oh, okay." Kori was almost speechless. Whatever everyone had to say, it had to be serious. Then she thought for a moment. "I guess I _was _dreaming of you going bonkers, Rach. . ." she wondered aloud. "You seem normal now."

"Wait, what do you remember?"

Kori tried her best in her current foggy state of mind to recall the events of that fateful morning not so long ago. Rachel waking up, talking about something about a band of Titans, followed by her breaking down, and the decision to seek help from a psychiatrist. Kori relayed the bits of information as she remembered them. They were jumbled at first, but as time went on, they grew clearer as she progressively woke up.

"Are you saying, that wasn't a dream?" Kori asked when she was finished. She was confused because of all the different looks coming from each one of them. She could tell by the silence that none of them knew what to say or even how to say it.

"No, it wasn't a dream," Rachel finally said. "I don't really remember what happened back then, but I was told later that I was acting weird. But now I'm back to the way that I was before. And, so are you."

"Wait, _what_?" Kori asked as she sat up.

"The same thing happened to you," Rachel said with empathy.

"It's true. You've been a different person for over a week now," Tara told her with a gentle voice.

"Who _are _you? And what are you doing here? How do you know that?" Kori asked three of the many questions brimming around in her head.

"My name is Terra. I've been living here as your roommate during the whole time you've been gone," she sat next to Kori on the couch and took her hand reassuringly. Kori stiffened in response. A complete stranger was holding her hand and talking like they were best friends. This was beyond weird.

"Kori, why don't we go into my room. I would like to talk to you privately." Rachel smiled and it encouraged her. Kori let go of Tara's hand and took Rachel's outstretched one. Then, Rachel led her friend by the hand to her bedroom.

This left behind a saddened Tara, a disbelieving Dick, and a despairing Roy. Each one had many emotions tumbling through them, and it wouldn't be easy to sort through them.

"I need to be alone," Roy said and went to sit in the kitchen next to his sleeping daughter, Lian. Dick heard hushed sniffles coming from the vicinity of the kitchen. _He must've really hit it off with Star, _he thought. _I don't blame him. I mean, Starfire is a really amazing girl. But, what will happen to him now?_

The thought of Roy losing heart depressed Dick. Roy had always been a good friend. As Speedy, he was quick on his feet, always had a smile on his face, and was welcome company. Thinking of him without that lively, passionate spark made Dick feel uneasy. It made Dick question his acceptance of this world. Where would he be without his good friend?

Tara, on the other hand, was thinking more towards the reaction this Kori had. Would this Kori treat her differently than the one she knew_? Well, of course, _Tara relented. _She doesn't even know who I am. She doesn't seem to be as loving or cheerful as Star at all. _To Tara, it looked worse than how Rachel reacted when she first woke up. _But at least she has someone to help her, where I cannot._

At that, Tara went back up to the room she and her Kori had roomed together for over a week. It had been fun getting reacquainted with her, being forgiven by her, and being helped by her. It was as if these past months in this world had never happened. It seemed to rewind to a time where the things around her were important and worth maintaining. Seeing Gar again made her feel strong emotions coursing through her veins again. Although one of the more dominant was anxiety, it reminded her that she was human. That she was real. That she was _alive_. And nothing, not Slade, not dream serum, not depression, absolutely _nothing _could ever take that away from her.

With firm determination that she would face whatever would come tomorrow, she laid down on her futon and fell asleep.

_Everything was dimly lit around her, but she could tell she was moving fast. She was hovering on a chunk of rock over a canyon of some sort. Wait, how did she have her powers back? She didn't have time to think about that, as she saw a flash of something green glow in front of her. It moved, no, shot out in the dark, lighting up what was around it. Were those projectiles? Then it hit her. Green lights shooting at objects around her. She tried to focus harder on what was in front of her. Long flowing red hair and a miniskirt_. It couldn't be!

_As if to confirm her suspicions, she vaguely heard herself yell, "Starfire, stop!" She reached out to her. _If only I could touch you, and know you are real, _Tara thought. _

_She grabbed hold of her ankle. Starfire turned onto her back while flying. Her eyes were glowing green in fury. Why was she so angry? What had Tara done to make her so irate? Why was Starfire flying away from her? "I'm not go . . . traitor like you!" the few words Tara could understand hit her heart hard. A traitor? Why was Star calling her a traitor of all things? Was she really not as forgiving as Tara had thought, and hoped, she was?_

_Starfire tried to kick Tara's hand free._

"_You're . . . traitor . . . abandoned me," Tara partially heard herself respond in spite. Why was she so mean towards her friend? She saw her hand grip tighter on Starfire's ankle._

"_You betrayed . . .anyone . . . a traitor," Starfire was enraged and it showed in her voice. Tara saw the background rush by even faster and assumed they were hurtling through the air at a higher speed. She looked at her grip on Starfire's ankle. Good, she was still holding on. Starfire's hands glowed menacingly as she hurled starbolt after starbolt towards Tara._

_They did not connect. Tara saw bits of rock from below come to take the blows for her. How had she gotten such fine control of her powers? _

"_It doesn't . . . 'lieve me." She was pleading with Starfire, wasn't she? What was she saying? It frustrated her to be so out of the loop. It seemed very important, and she wanted to know so badly._

"_Do you . . . convince . . . gone." The words Starfire was speaking again came out as jumbled and interspersed. Tara stopped trying to piece them together. All she could tell from Starfire's voice and her emphatic gestures was that she firmly believed Tara was wrong. Whatever she had done, it was making Starfire wrathful. But, for some odd reason, as she kept speaking, the words she could hear Starfire say were slurred. Was Tara imaging it? Starfire shook her head as if to get a grip._

_Tara's vision widened and she could see more around her for a brief moment before it became unfocused and dimmed._

_Starfire started to shake, almost convulse in midair. _What is wrong, Starfire? Tell me!_ Tara thought, but alas she could not speak. Only watch as the horror befell her. Starfire produced a humongous starbolt— much larger than any she had seen before. Tara knew then and there, if she was hit by that, she might never recover. Quick, there had to be rocks or something to take the hit like before! Tara looked around, but the starbolt was much bigger than most of the boulders near her._

_She . . . wasn't going to make it, was she?_

_With a warrior's cry, Starfire unleashed the starbolt on everything in the nearby vicinity. Tara's vision turned white. Then, when she could see again, she saw the ground steadily coming closer and closer. She was falling at an alarming rate. _

_Her vision blurred. And then, before she hit the ground, everything turned to black._

Tara bolted upright in her futon. What a nightmare! Not only was her usually good, sweet-tempered friend terrifying, but Starfire had almost killed her.

Light peeked into the room where Tara sat breathing heavily.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Did I wake you?" It was Kori opening the door to her room. "It was Tara, right?"

She nodded her head as she calmed down.

"I hope I didn't startle you." Kori seemed to be cautious around Tara. It was as if she wasn't sure what her reactions would be or what to expect. Tara assumed by the mascara marks under her eyes, that Rachel had let out the whole truth. Like Rachel had reacted before, she was sure it was a lot to take in. But Kori had a long cry and appeared to have sobered down now.

"No, you didn't wake me," Tara said with as much of a smile as she could muster in her shaken up state. "I just had a bad dream. I'm really glad you're here now." She took the time to look straight into Kori's eyes. "I hope we can be friends, Kori."

"I. . . I would like that," Kori managed to say. She was surprised how sincere that truly was. She needed a friend in this topsy-turvy house. Everything was upside down, backwards, or just plain out of order here. But with help from this girl, Rachel, and Vic, maybe, just _maybe _she could find a corner of peace here.

She found she would need that most of all.

—Fin—

A/N: I am SOOO sorry guys for this uber late update. I feel really bad I have been neglecting this story so much. I finally found my writer's muse somewhere stuck behind a bookshelf and decided to shake it loose so I could try it out. Well, it's up to you. Was this good enough? I know the beginning with Roy ended up being an almost "Vacation Troubles" moment. I guess I am having withdrawal symptoms lol

So, review?

Just a quick clarification. I have probably confused some of you with the Tara/Terra switching. When the Titans (in the dream world) are talking to or about Tara they call her "Terra" since that was her name in the real world. In the dream world, her alias is Tara Markov. So, when referring to her in the narrative in these chapters or when Vic, Rachel, Roy or any other from the dream world talk to/about her, they say "Tara". Kind of like how the Titans call Kori "Star" or "Starfire" while everyone else, including the third person narrative calls her "Kori". Does that make sense?

Signed,  
>Her Sappiness<p> 


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